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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. land — ground
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. land — to come down
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. swing — music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. swing — to play on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com